1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to antenna mounts and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an antenna attachment means particularly designed and constructed for removable attachment to the standard rearview mirror brackets of trucks and other similar vehicles.
2. Background of the Invention
Most long distance truck drivers operate citizen's band radio equipment from their truck tractor for the purpose of staying in communication with other truck drivers on the road, both for the safety reasons associated with relaying road conditions and information and also for the personal entertainment of the drivers while making long hauls.
For the most part, trucking companies do not provide this equipment to the driver. The drivers therefore normally own their own equipment consisting of the citizen's band transceiver and associated antenna.
However, it is often the case that in travelling across country, the driver may be required to change tractor equipment several times during one complete haul. Therefore each time that he changes tractor equipment he must remove his radio equipment from the first tractor and install same in the second tractor. The transceiver equipment is easily removed but the antennas which must be mounted exteriorly of the truck are often cumbersome and hard to manage.
Most trucks or trailer pulling vehicles are provided with side mounted rearview mirrors which normally employ a rather heavy duty pair of vertically spaced parallel frame members extending outwardly from the side of the vehicle carrying the rearview mirror. Various antenna attachment devices have been developed for attachment to these mirror frames such as the telescoping member taught in the patent to Rima No. 3,710,339, issued Jan. 9, 1973 and entitled "Portable Antenna Mount for Trucks." The Rima device consists of spring-urged telescoping members having oppositely disposed hook members for attachment of the device to the standard rearview mirror frame members. However, the Rima device, while providing a means for folding the antenna with respect to the mount for storage purposes, mounts the antenna directly to a vertically disposed plate by means of a bolt which serves as the upper spring hanger. Therefore, in order to fold the antenna it would be necessary to either loosen the bolt with a screw driver or the like or to leave the bolt in a loosened condition in the first place which would be undesirable from a standpoint of stability. Further, the mounting of the antenna to the verticle plate would be unsatisfactory since wind currents greatly affect the antenna and would cause loosening or inadvertent folding while the truck is in motion.